It's All About a Pumpkin's Design
Meriden man shows passion for Halloween with custom stencils
The Herald Press - New Britain, CT
By Jen Haggerty
October 23, 2005

According to Ryan Wickstrand, all you need to carve a pumpkin is tools, a little bit of patience... and a printer.

Wickstrand, a graphic designer, is the creator of Zombie Pumpkins! (www.zombiepumpkins.com), a Web site that hosts over 100 unique stencils that he has designed for Halloween.

An orc design in its finished stage.

Now in its third year, there are over a thousand members on his site that come from all 50 states and many foreign countries. The bulk of the web traffic is centered around Halloween.

"It's great because a lot of these countries don't celebrate Halloween," he said. "It's great to see the tradition going overseas."

Based in Meriden, Conn., Wickstrand said he started out carving pumpkins with the traditional triangle-shaped eyes.

"I started doing more complicated designs three years ago and started making my own stencils," he said. "It was the first year that I came up with what a Zombie Pumpkin was."

According to the tale on his Web site, Zombie Pumpkins originated from unfortunate, ignored pumpkins during Halloween celebrations of the past.

"The one with the mushy spot... the broken stem... the bumpy skin. Considered too ugly to be turned into jack-o-lanterns, you mercilessly left them to rot on their vines," the Web site explained. Each Halloween, these pumpkins rise from the patch to seek their "bloody justice," with the desire to take back Halloween. Once under their spell, people have no choice than to obey their commands and carve every pumpkin for Halloween with stencils offered on the Web site.

"When I started, it was a hobby for myself. I would post on the Web site for fun," Wickstrand said.

He was soon surprised to find other people online shared his passion.

"Every year there are more and more people" who request access to the stencils available on the Web site.

To become a member, the minimum fee is $2. However, users can donate more. Since Wickstrand's work is a small, home-based project that becomes his "one and only job for the month," the membership fees help cover the costs of running the site.

"I leave it up to the members to choose, depending on the pumpkin stencils - how many they plan to use and what they can afford," he said.

Designing for a cause

This year Wickstrand will be donating a percentage of his profits to the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief.

"As I watched the scenes of destruction on television, I felt that I had to do something. I just wasn't sure how. But then I remembered how amazingly generous many of my fellow Halloween fans have been in the past. I wanted to make use of this charitable spirit and give something to the victims that need it right now," he said in a statement.

If members contribute $20, 15 percent of the payment will go to this cause. Contributors will receive a small thank you gift in return from Wickstrand, according to his Web site. During the first week of November, Wickstrand will make one large donation to the Red Cross and will post a thank you confirmation that he receives on his Web site.

So far this season, members have been responsive.

"I've been really impressed with how generous people have been with the Red Cross," he said.

Grab a pumpkin

While the patterns available on his Web site (and one exclusive stencil available today in The Herald Press on Page D6), appear to be complex, most are simple to carve for both beginner and veteran pumpkin carvers.

There are different categories offered on his Web site, including "Unique Creations" (traditional Halloween themes that he comes up with) and "Movie Monsters" (the most recent being "Napoleon Dynamite" as of press time). These two categories are the most popular downloads so far this year.

Characters from "The Corpse Bride" are also popular on the site, which were made available the same day the movie was released.

While there are over 100 designs available on his Web site, at least 30 new designs are added each year.

"I'll take requests for pumpkin patterns people would like to see," he said. He also creates personal pumpkins that can consist of business logos, family members and even household pets (anyone need a unique, fall wedding decor idea?).

"I get some great e-mails from people about how their Halloweens have become more memorable" thanks to the stencils available on the site. "People often question their artistic talent... but they're always impressed with what they are able to do," he said.

To create your own masterpiece using Wickstrand's designs, he highly recommends buying a carving kit, which is available at grocery and drug stores (The Herald Press picked one up at Stop & Shop in Middletown for $4.99, but lesser-priced kits were also available).

"Carving kits in the store are pretty much a must for doing these designs and patterns," he explained. "They give you a lot more control for detail work."

Wickstrand even hosts a contest where people can submit their photos that can be judged in different categories. Each winner will receive a prize, such as a T-shirt.

"I try to make it a little community for pumpkin freaks."